Fainting. Phobia advice

[loopylu86]

I am currently on day 10 of 10mg Citalopram and feel better anxiety wise for sure. Despite people saying effects take longer but even so...appetite has started to return and not so anxious. One thing I can not shake though ks this constant queasiness relating to fear of fainting. I have fainted 4 times in my life and the last time was actually 5 years ago. When I have a panic attack. The onset is the anxiety followed by pure disorientation then this burning sensation through my arms....this feeling is identical to that before I fainted...so the attack gets worse...Even days like today....I just feel so terrible. I don't know why it scares me so.much. It's not a social thing. I have no shame in that aspect lol. Just the losing control. Does anyone else relate to this? Will this go away in time? :weep:

[bernie1977]

I often feel faint and dizzy when I have a panic attack but I have never actually fainted because of one. The last time I fainted was due to a really heavy period and I survived it!

You may be feeling faint due to the side effects of the meds, if so this should pass soon

[loopylu86]

I just think it's me thinking on a loop about it. My logic tells me that if I fainted then it's not the end of the world...but of course..phobias don't work that way. I need to.relax...I'm alone tonight too and it's just doesn't help. Xx

[b0wl0fj0kes]

I have a weird fear of fainting too. Thats my main fear when I'm in public and having a panic attack. It's not so much, "OMG HEART ATTACK." It's more "OMG I'M GONNA PASS OUT." I can tell you something that could possibly make you feel better. It's almost impossible to pass out when having a panic attack...


Fear of Fainting

This is a very common fear among people suffering from panic attacks. First, here's a little background.

People think of fainting as belonging to the same category as heart attacks - a terrible physical calamity. But fainting is actually a valuable way the body protects itself.

Do you know what causes a person to faint?

It's caused by a sudden, significant drop in blood pressure. When blood pressure drops this way, there is a chance the brain won't get enough blood, because it's at the highest point of the body. That's no good - your brain needs a steady supply of the oxygen the blood carries. So when your body can't get enough blood to your brain because of low blood pressure, it protects you by bringing your brain down to the blood. The faint ensures a blood supply to the brain by bringing your head down to the ground.

If we had our brains in our feet, there wouldn't be any such thing as fainting, but tap dancing would probably be banned.

Here's the key point: What do you think is happening to your blood pressure during a panic attack?

It's going up. Probably not a lot, but it's doing the opposite of what you need to faint. So it's extremely difficult to faint during a panic attack. In order to faint during a panic attack, you need to have some other physical circumstance or condition which lowers your blood pressure to such a degree that it overcomes the increase.